The Third Commandment:

Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day holy!

Who takes the trouble to experience a Commandment with his intuitive perception. When one sees how thoughtlessly children and adults habitually treat the Commandments of their God, every serious-minded person could and should be horrified.

The Commandments are learned and superficially discussed at school. A person is happy if he has taken in the words, and can to some extent give answers concerning them, so long as there is any danger of his being questioned about them. When he leaves school to enter public life these words too are soon forgotten, and with them also the meaning. The best proof of the fact that he was not really interested at all in what his Lord and God demands of him.

But He does not even demand anything, but gives in love to all men what they urgently need! From the Light it was indeed perceived how far human beings were going astray. So, like a teacher, God faithfully showed them the way that leads them to Eternal Life in the Luminous Realm of the Spirit, thus to their happiness. Whereas disobedience must lead to misery and ruin for mankind!

Just for that reason it is not really correct to speak of Commandments. Rather they are very well-meant advice, pointing out the right way through the World of Matter, with which the human spirits themselves wished to become acquainted.

But even this so beautiful thought has no effect on man. He has literally become far too obdurate in his own ways of thinking, and will see or hear nothing more than what he himself has put together in the way of views, on the basis of his small earthly knowledge.

He does not perceive how the World of Matter is constantly carrying him further, ever further, right to the boundary where for the last time he is faced with “Either – Or”, as the decision which now remains decisive for his entire existence, and according to which he must follow his path so chosen to the end, without being able to turn back from it again. Even if finally recognition yet comes to him. It will then be too late, and will only serve to increase the torments for him.

To help in this, so that in spite of the errors recognition could yet come to him in time, God gave men the Third Commandment, the advice to keep the Sabbath Day holy!

With the fulfillment of this Commandment there would indeed have gradually arisen for every human being in the course of time the longing to strive towards the Light, and with the longing the way would finally also have been revealed that would bring him upwards to the fulfillment of his wishes which, growing ever stronger, would have condensed into prayer. Then man would stand differently today! Spiritualized, mature for that Kingdom which must now come.

Thus hearken ye, and act so that fulfillment of the Commandment will prepare your way. You are to keep the Sabbath Day holy! You! It states quite clearly in the words that you are to consecrate the Sabbath Day, you must make it holy for yourself!

The Sabbath Day is the hour of rest, thus when you take rest from the work enjoined upon you by your path on earth. But you do not consecrate the hour of rest, the day of rest, by wishing to care only for your body. Nor by seeking diversion in games, drinking or dancing.

The hour of rest should lead you to hold quiet self-communion in your thinking and intuitive perceiving, to review your earth-life up to the present, especially always the past working days of the last week, and to draw practical applications from them for your future. Six days can always be reviewed; a longer period is easily forgotten.

Inevitably then your intuitive perceiving will slowly rise higher, and you will become a seeker for the Truth. Once you really are a seeker, a way will also be shown to you. And just as here on earth you only tread a new, hitherto unfamiliar path with care, investigating it, so must you cautiously proceed step by step also on the new spiritual paths which open before you, in order always to keep firm ground under your feet. You must not rush ahead, for then the danger of falling is greater.

Through such thinking and intuitive perceiving during the rest hours of your earth-life you will never lose anything, but only gain.

No one keeps an hour of rest holy by going to church, unless at the same time during the time of rest he is prepared to reflect on what he has heard there, in order to absorb it rightly within himself and live accordingly. The priest cannot make your day holy for you if you do not do so of yourself. Consider carefully ever again whether the real sense of the Word of God is completely in accord with your activity. Through this way the Sabbath Day will then be kept holy by you; for through peaceful self-communion it has acquired that content for the purpose of which it was instituted.

Every Sabbath Day will thus become a milestone on your way, which will also retroactively give the days of your gross material activity that value which these should have for the maturing of your soul. Then they will not have been lived in vain, and you will constantly advance.

To keep holy means not to waste. The moment you neglect this you lose the time which is granted to you for maturing, and after the Cosmic Turning-Point, the rays of which are now slowly encompassing you, only a short time is yet given to make up for what has been neglected, provided that in so doing you use all the energy left to you.

Therefore keep the Sabbath Day holy! Be it in your home, or better still in Nature, which helps you to become alert in thinking and intuitive perceiving! Fulfill thereby the Commandment of the Lord. It is for your benefit!

Download this Lecture:

The book The Ten Commandments of God and The Lord's Prayer is a translation after the original German text, “Die Zehn Gebote Gottes und das Vaterunser”. In some cases the words of the translation can only render the meaning and contents of the original approximately. Nevertheless, the reader will come to a good understanding of the text, if he strives to absorb its meaning inwardly.